AN: So I recently had a period of self-doubt in my writing abilities since I haven't have that many views/follows (at least for what I was hoping for). I decided to scrap this story and do some other story, but while planning out that story, I realized I loved this one too much. So I thought about it and decided that I would stick with this until the end, regardless of how many views or follows or favorites or reviews I get. Lol this sounds cliche, but yeah, that's what happened.

I contemplated the matter as I finished up a cup noodles and threw its empty container over the edge of the cliff (hey, I was in some random forest, no need to feel obligated to keep it clean or whatever). How to get a Slowpoke to want to battle? Even Black himself said it wasn't possible.

But I dreamed of being the best, and that meant doing things no one else could do.

"Trainer, what your plan?" Monotone asked. My first two pokemon had agreed to help try to change Aack's mind.

"I've decided to use something from school. It's called the scientific method. Basically, we make an objective - which for us is getting a Slowpoke to want to train and battle - then we make a hypothesis, then we test. If it fails, we try again, analyzing data along the way, continuing to make hypotheses until success."

"What the first hypothesis?"

"Eh... I dunno. I think we might be able to draw some conclusions from that time you two got him to squirt all over the Pokemon center room."

"My lord, last time I had Bitten him, and we made a few insults. That was it."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Using Bite only seems to wake him up. So that wouldn't be a useful trigger for motivation. Instead, we should focus on the insults... Okay, we have our first hypothesis."

Hypothesis #1: Aack gets enraged when insulted.

"Trainer, that not address the problem of battle motivation."

"Yes, but we have a good amount of time, and we should take things one at a time."

Monotone didn't respond. I assumed that meant he agreed. So we were ready. "To test the hypothesis... Grime, you may Bite him. As his trainer, I will insult him, and evaluate his reaction."

Grime nodded, and visibly tingling with excitement, she used Bite on the Slowpoke's back. I noted she had never used full force on Aack.

"AAAAAAAACK!" Aack screamed, his eyes flinging open, moving about wildly.

"Hey Slowpoke. You're a little scumbag who no one wants. Heh, even Mew herself thought making you was a mistake," I said, smiling evilly. Or at least I hoped it was evil. Nevertheless, I felt pretty good about my insulting skills.

Aack moved his body to face me. He regarded me with a lidded expression. "I'm hungry," he said before falling asleep.

I was okay with that. I turned to Monotone and Grime. "There you two have it. Our first hypothesis is a failure."

"My lord, that doesn't explain why he threw a tantrum, though."

I sat down. "Yes, there must've been some other factor involved. My insults didn't matter to him, and your Bites only serve to wake him up."

"Trainer, I not have answer to that, but I have another idea," Monotone said. I turned to him. "Reward him food, for exchange for battle."

Hypothesis #2: Aack will derive motivation to do things from getting tasty rewards.

Grime woke him up with another Bite. Aack screamed 'AAACK' again, then regarded me again with a lidded expression.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't just fall asleep instead of answering.

"Yes," Aack said in his blubbery voice. I smiled, and took out an Oran Berry. I gave it to Aack, who had his attention on the Oran Berry.

"Gimme."

I nudged in closer to Aack. Once it was directly below his mouth, he slowly lowered his head and swallowed the Oran Berry.

"I'll give you much more if you agree to train with me!" I said quickly.

Aack glanced at me. "That is work." Then he went back to sleep.

I looked back at my first two pokemon.

"Looks like that didn't work."

"My lord, pardon me for saying this, but you might be behaving... a little too gentle."

I sighed. "Well, sorry. I want to stay focused though. We should still try to think of why Aack went crazy back there. What is different between then and now?"

"Well... confined space, for one," Monotone offered.

Hypothesis #3: Aack was afraid of confined spaces.

"But how are we going to test that?" Grime asked.

"I'll think about it. You two can go out and train and stuff. If you ever get low on health, come back here and I'll heal you," I said.

My two pokemon nodded, and floated/bounded away.

As they were about to enter the canopy of trees, I added, "And work together. If you fight each other in the forest, I'll never find your bodies. These pokeballs can't return pokemon from like a kilometer away."

They left without nodding again, which made me a little worried. But I needed them to learn to work together. I focused on the sleeping Aack in front of me.

"So how do we make a confined space in a forest?" I wondered aloud.

"Ah, they're gone."

I looked around, wondering who had said that. Then I felt a chill run down my spine... and I looked over the edge of a cliff, expecting to see a murderer with a gun and ten knives and a wild face and the patience to wait until all of my pokemon were gone...

But there was no murderer. And I realized that blubbery voice could only have been... Aack.

"You have a death wish or something? Don't look over cliffs. It's dangerous."

My jaw dropped as I stared at Aack, his eyes lidded, but he was awake!

"Honestly, being around other pokemon is weird. I really hate it."

I raised an eyebrow.

Hypothesis #4: Aack hates other pokemon and pretends to sleep when they are around.

I told Aack my fourth hypothesis.

"Spot on, kid. You aren't that dumb. Nice."

I chuckled. "Really? You hate every pokemon?" I've heard of pokemon hating humans, but not all other pokemon!

"I have my own past problems. Don't we all? Look, I'm alright to stay on your team and fight or whatever. Of course, I still would like some Oran Berry rewards. Anyways, I just don't want to have to deal with other pokemon."

"But you need to battle other pokemon... that's what fighting is!"

Aack nodded slowly. "If I can attack my opponent to my heart's content, that would be a dream come true."

"So you avoid my other pokemon because..."

"Because I can't attack them without restriction. I do have a sense of duty, after all. See, I pretend to sleep so I won't lose control and go wild."

"That's what happened in the pokemon center room?"

"Yes, but it wasn't because of the confined space like you guys were thinking. It was the fact that you weren't there. I kinda lost control because of that..." Aack averted his gaze, seemingly blushing (it was hard to tell since his skin was pink).

I found myself enjoying the conversation. I wasn't reacting to his sudden change of behavior like I would've thought; maybe I'd grown immune to weird surprises.

"Oh yeah, I'm also masochistic. Just so you know."

I scrambled over the edge of the cliff and threw up. When I was done heaving, I looked at Aack incredulously. "WHAT!"

"By the definition of enjoying pain, nothing more, nothing less." Aack rolled his eyes.

I sighed. It was a little better than I had previously thought, but still... that was weird.

"When I found out I had been stolen, and in the end I was with you, I didn't really like it. Of course, now I'm actually excited. Pokemon battles! Think about it, I could utilize the weakness I have to become something amazing!"

Now I was sure he was serious. Just to make sure, I slapped his on the cheek, an he emitted a groan of pleasure. "It's because of this I hate pokemon. They've always thought I was a monster and should be killed."

And then a thought came to me. Grime was ostracized due to a hidden ability. Looks like Aack had a similar past. Then I realized I had just considered masochism was a hidden ability for a pokemon, and I threw up over the edge of the cliff again.

Monotone and Grime had just fought off two attacking Munna; separately, of course.

"Pathetic pest spawn, it has been an hour. Should we return?"

Monotone regarded Grime. "We far from tired. At least I am."

Grime nodded, not wanting to be the first to admit she was in need of a potion.

"So, alien pest, I have just now gained the option to learn Odor Sleuth. Shall I forget the move Sand Attack? My lord doesn't use it as much."

"Do what you want," Monotone said offhandedly while using Venoshock to decimate a Purrloin.

"I'll do it, then. You're insignificant opinion doesn't matter anyway."

- - half an hour later - -

Grime and Monotone were on their way back. Both were visibly damaged, and in dire need of potions.

Unfortunately for them, three Patrat scurried in their way.

"Heh! Intruders!" They scoffed simultaneously.

Monotone and Grime looked at each other in fear.

And the battle began. Grime proceeded to run around the find places to attack with Bite. Monotone simply floated a ways above and threw Acids and Venoshocks at the Patrat.

During their time together, the two pokemon had created the plan to have Grime fight head-on, and have Monotone float from afar and attack with long ranged moves.

It took only a minute for the three Patrat to faint. Monotone floated down to the ground. "Grime, I decided respect you as equal."

Grime growled. "You vile alien, I will believe you are near my outstanding capabilities. Obviously, my lord prefers me to you. I'm stronger and more reliable."

"Trainer finds me his favorite. He has risked his life for my well-being."

Grime smirked. "You can ask him, he'll say I'm his favorite."

Monotone didn't reply, and they continued progressing towards their trainer and the other pokemon on the team.

I saw my first two pokemon appear from within the confines of the forest to my little camp at the cliff.

I beamed. "Aack is now ready to be the third member of the team!" I announced. I had done some training with Aack in the past hour or so, and he had even learned Confusion.

I savored the look of shock on Monotone and Grime's faces. "That's right, your trainer has done something no other trainer has done before! Of course, Aack isn't just any Slowpoke, so I wasn't completely my own ability..." I had decided I wouldn't tell my team about Aack's... interesting personality until later, when they were used to knowing he was on the team.

"He has some rules, however. Mainly, he doesn't ever want to see you two, or any of my future pokemon for that matter. Can that be respected?"

"Trainer, you were the one preaching about teamwork..."

I looked at Aack's pokeball, and was thankful pokemon couldn't hear what was going on when inside of one. "I'll make sure to change him for the better one day... for now, we'll have to go with this."

"My lord, I have no objections. I don't wish to see that lazy son of a-"

I cleared my throat. "At any rate, have you guys found out where we are?"

"My lord, there are many Munna here."

I grinned. "Really! Wild Munna!"

My Poochyena nodded.

"Wild Munna only live in or near the Dreamyard... guys! We're to the east of Striaton City! We aren't that far off!"

And after another half an hour, the three of us set out west, hoping that Striation City would be somewhere there.

The Looker was sitting in the same conference room where he had teleported to with the two boys. On the laptop screen in front of him, which displayed the live CCTV camera footage of the forests above the HQ, there was the boy with his three pokemon on the edge of a cliff.

The Looker laughed. "You will follow the path of absolute justice, for sure. Good luck, young boy."

Chapter 15 MC/age/pokemon changes: NONE

.-.-.

Monotone - Peck, Growl, Acid, Venoshock

Grime - Tackle, Howl, Odor Sleuth, Bite

Aack - Yawn, Tackle, Confusion, Water Gun